An uninvited guest

"You all beware of any activity from the Bloodthirsty Bees. I'm going to discuss matters with Extreme Yin."

After giving a brief instruction to her subordinates, Zhu Yin headed towards Song Wen Alchemy's temporary cave abode where he was refining pills.

"Fellow Daoist, I have something to discuss with you."

Song Wen removed the <Qi-Sealing Spirit-Isolating Formation> and let Zhu Yin enter.

"I'm sure you've all noticed the situation down the mountain. It seems the third-tier Demon-Luring Incense isn't very alluring to the queen bee," Zhu Yin said with a worried expression.

Song Wen said, "It must have attracted too many low-level Bloodthirsty Bees, which alerted the queen bee and made her afraid to leave the hive rashly."

Zhu Yin said, "If the situation is truly as you say, the Queen Bee's intelligence must be terrifyingly high, and she will likely be difficult to deal with. Even a third-tier Demon-Luring Incense couldn't lure her out; would we need a fourth-tier Demon-Luring Incense?"

Song Wen couldn't think of a good solution for the time being, so he shook his head slightly and said nothing more.

After a moment of silence, Zhu Yin said, "I'd like to trouble you to refine another batch of Demon-Luring Incense, fellow Daoist. I plan to try again in a different location."

Three days later.

Another batch of Demon-Luring Incense was refined.

Zhu Yin scattered it in a ravine.

Beside the ravine is a cliff several meters high, with two beehive entrances on the cliff.

Zhu Yin set up a concealment formation on a nearby mountaintop, overlooking everything in the valley.

Moments later, Bloodthirsty Bees crawled out of the hive entrance and flew into the ravine.

However, the number of Bloodthirsty Bees that appeared this time was significantly reduced. Nearly an hour later, when the number of Bloodthirsty Bees should have been at its maximum, only one or two thousand Bloodthirsty Bees appeared.

Moreover, these Bloodthirsty Bees are mostly non-ranked; rank one Bloodthirsty Bees rare, and there are none at all rank two.

Seeing this, Zhu Yin's face turned somewhat gloomy.

The queen bee's intelligence and her control over the colony far exceed expectations.

The reason why the low-level Bloodthirsty Bees did not appear on a large scale as last time is twofold: firstly, the low-level Bloodthirsty Bees suffered heavy losses last time; secondly, the queen bee was controlling them from behind the scenes, keeping them away from the Demon-Luring Powder.

After the swarm of bees dispersed, Zhu Yin found Song Wen again.

"Fellow Daoist, it seems that the third-tier Demon-Luring Incense is useless against the Queen Bee."

Zhu Yin's voice carried a hint of disappointment.

"What are your plans next, fellow Daoist?" Song Wen asked.

Song Wen's task was to refine a third-tier Demon-Luring Incense to help Zhu Yin resolve the problem of the Bloodthirsty Bees.

As things stand, the mission has clearly not been accomplished.

Zhu Yin said, "I can't think of a good solution right now, which is why I wanted to discuss it with you, fellow Daoist."

Song Wen pondered for a moment, then spoke.

"The Demon-Luring Incense can cause low-level Bloodthirsty Bees to become disoriented, leading them to kill each other. If we can cast the Demon-Luring Incense deep into the hive, it might drastically reduce the number of Bloodthirsty Bees. In that case, we can send small spirit beasts to infiltrate the hive, locate the queen bee, and then annihilate her in one fell swoop."

After saying that, Song Wen added another sentence.

"However, since we don't know the internal structure of the nest, it's unlikely that we can send the Demon-Luring Incense deep into the hive."

Upon hearing this, a glint of inspiration flashed in Zhu Yin's eyes.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist. I already have a plan."

Song Wen was slightly taken aback and said, "Zhu Yin, what should we do next?"

Zhu Yin said, "Let's go back to Shepherd Mountain first; I need to make some preparations."

Zhu Yin summoned a spaceship and transported Song Wen, Jing Kai, and the others back to Shepherd Mountain.

"Yuan Qing, what are you doing at my Shepherd Mountain?"

As soon as she stepped off the spaceship, Zhu Yin saw a man standing Shepherd Hall. Her expression immediately turned cold, clearly indicating that she did not welcome him.

The man known as 'Yuan Qing' was extremely handsome and elegant, yet he possessed a feminine aura.

He carried a subtle arrogance on his face. The man made no attempt to conceal his cultivation aura, revealing his powerful cultivation at the peak of the Peak Golden Core Stage realm without any disguise.

"Junior Sister Zhu, I've heard that Sheep Island has been plagued by Bloodthirsty Bees lately, causing you sleepless nights and loss of appetite. I've come to lend you a hand and help you eradicate the Bloodthirsty Bees."

Limitless Island has two Nascent Soul Cultivators: Yinshuo, who is in the Nascent Soul Late Stage, and Ye Hua, who is in the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

Yinshuo was known as the Devil Master, while Ye Hua was known as the Demon Venerable.

Yuan Qing is the personal disciple of Demon Lord Ye Hua.

Zhu Yin did not appreciate Yuan Qing's good intentions.

"Yuan Qing, the affairs of Sheep Island are none of your business."

"Junior Sister Zhu, I've come this far with good intentions, why are you so dismissive?"

Yuan Qing said with a smile. However, given his effeminate demeanor, his smile looked somewhat sinister.

"Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious. I don't care what your purpose is in coming to Sheep Island, but you'd better not cause any trouble Sheep Island. The Bloodthirsty Bees hive is located in the mountains southwest of the Cold Mountain Kingdom. If you really want to eliminate the Bloodthirsty Bees, you are welcome to go there yourself. No one will stop you," Zhu Yin said.

Yuan Qing said, "It seems that Junior Sister Zhu's mission has failed, and she has not been able to eliminate the Queen Bee."

"Snort!"

Zhu Yin snorted coldly, ignored Yuan Qing, and turned to walk into the main hall.

Yuan Qing turned his gaze to Song Wen, "Fellow Daoist, you look somewhat unfamiliar. May I ask your name?"

"I am Extreme Yin, and I have only recently joined the outer sect of Limitless Island. I have long admired Fellow Yuan Qing's reputation, and it is truly an honor to meet you today," Song Wen said.

After looking Song Wen up and down, Yuan Qing asked.

"I wonder what brings you to Sheep Island?"

Song Wen said, "I was ordered by the Mission Hall to refine a third-tier Demon-Luring Incense to assist Pavilion Master Zhu Qing in eliminating the Bloodthirsty Bees."

Yuan Qing raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Fellow Daoist is also a third-tier Alchemist!"

As he spoke, he took out a Message Jade Slip.

"This is my Message Jade Slip. If you encounter any troublesome matters, you can contact me. I still have some influence on Limitless Island."

Song Wen took the Jade Slip and then handed over his own Message Jade Slip.

"I hope you will take good care of me in the future, fellow Daoist."

"No problem." Yuan Qing nodded in satisfaction.

Just then, Jing Kai, who was standing among several shepherds, suddenly frowned.

He held a Message Jade Slip in his hand, seemingly having received some bad news.

"Seniors Yuan Qing and Extreme Yin, I have some matters to report to the Bamboo Sound Pavilion. I will take my leave now."

Jing Kai gave a shout and headed towards the main hall.

Yuan Qing watched Jing Kai figure, a gloating smile playing on his lips.

"It seems Junior Sister Zhu is in trouble again."

"Fellow Daoist Yuan Qing, I shall return to my cave abode to rest first, and we shall continue our conversation another day."

Song Wen was uninterested in what trouble had occurred on Sheep Island and took his leave.